Prologue

With a sound ten times as powerful as a thunderclap, the pod burst through the quantum alignment and into Earth's atmosphere, descending toward the surface at hypersonic speeds. Panic ensued across the planet as news of the "monster-comet" was reported to those in power. Yet even as preparations for the impending catastrophe were begun, the pod activated an extra booster engine which redirected its course into the sea. The tsunami caused by the impact reached no farther than the Antarctic shores nearby, and the world breathed a sigh of relief.

Then came the questions: What had happened? Why hadn't they seen this coming? Had whatever-it-was remained intact? Exploration crews were immediately formed, and soon the more powerful nations began a mad race to be the first to reach the unidentified object.

A couple of months later, the truth had been discovered. Excavations had revealed a small spaceship on the ocean floor, and this had immediately been pulled to the surface. Inside the ship, they had found a barely-conscious young man, weak from hunger and thirst. According to him, he had been testing a new propulsion system, and had discovered too late that it was impossible to control. As a result, he had become stuck in orbit for nearly a year, trying to find a way to return the ship to Earth. Eventually, the ship had drifted into orbit itself, and accelerated to the speeds which had caught so much attention.

This explanation was received with great excitement in the field of science, and soon the young man was being constantly pestered by the world's great institutions of science to reveal the details of his experiment. He refused, however, and quickly receded back into the life he had led before disappearing a year ago. This annoyed quite a few people, but that was exactly what he wanted. It kept them from thinking to hard about his story . . .

He knew there were flaws; for instance, there wasn't nearly enough room in the pod for the amount of supplies he would need to survive a full year in space. Nor was the explanation of his return very good. Yet he could not tell them what really happened; most wouldn't believe him, and those that did wouldn't understand.

His family and friends knew; he had left a note for them before he left. But they understood why he kept quiet, so they supported his story. He was grateful for that. But he couldn't tell them the truth either. There were too many things that they wouldn't understand . . . too many he didn't fully understand. Only he would ever know the truth; him, and those on the other side.

Christopher Thorndyke sighed as he leaned back in his chair, staring at the computer in front of him in a tired way. Much of his spare time since he got back had been devoted to recording everything; he didn't want to forget anything.

'It's only been a few weeks,' he thought, 'but it feels like a lifetime. How will I move on after this?' Even as he asked himself, the answer occurred to him: 'Exactly the same way you moved on the first time.'

He'd finish school (considering the news coverage of his "experiment", he didn't think it'd be that difficult to pick up where he'd left off), get a job (maybe a research scientist with G.U.N.?), and rebuild his friendships (he'd been thinking a lot about Helen, recently) and family relationships (his mom still wanted an explanation for the whole pod incident).

'It won't be the same,' he reminded himself. 'You've learned a lot. Now you have to live with it.'

'. . . and, of course, there's that.'

Chris smiled to himself, thinking about the last thing he had done on Mobius before seeing Eggman. He had guessed that the evil genius had found a way to get him home (it was either that or he would be planning on capturing him as bait for Sonic, which was unlikely this soon after the war), and he had planned accordingly. He had spent almost the entire trip back on the Blue Typhoon thinking about what had happened, and how it might have been prevented.

And then, just as they were landing, it hit him. The one thing (well, maybe not the only thing, but certainly an important one) that all their adventures had had in common . . . If that could be stopped . . . He had started right away. He had known he didn't have much time (and it turned out to be even less than he thought). Eventually, he had found it.

Standing up, Chris took a keyring out of his pocket, and unlocked a small drawer in his desk. Inside, there lay a few things which he had brought back with him from Mobius. Moving his Miles Electric to the side, Chris pulled out a small box and laid it on the desk. Sitting down again, he unlocked the box, opened it, and took out the object inside. He smiled; 'No one will ever be hurt by you again,' he thought, pleased with himself.

In his hand was the white Chaos Emerald.

I've had this idea for almost five years, and only just got around to getting it typed. This is mostly because I wasn't sure how most readers would react to a story which centers around Chris Thorndyke (though time management had quite a bit to do with it, too . . .). So, let me know what you think of this idea, specifically whether you think I should continue it, and if board let me know what you think will happen (e.g., will Chris's plan work (I don't think so, but the story will require me to say so (spoilers!), and SEGA seems to think so if SatAM, AoStH, Underground and Boom are anything to go by (I just realized that all Sonic systems without Chaos Emeralds are second-hand TV series. I wonder if that's significant . . . but now I'm rambling, and I've done a triple parenthetical)), what kind of fanfic will this be, how long will it go, etc.). Thanks for reading and God bless you! Shalom!

Afternoon of 3/3/2016